VSFlexGrid (ActiveX) and C1FlexGrid (.NET)

1. Rows and Cols properties are used to get or set the number of rows and columns.
2. VSFlexGrid uses the TextMatrix property to represent the rows and columns.

For instance, in ActiveX, you would write:

Dim r%, c% c = 1
For r = c1FlexGrid1.FixedRows To c1FlexGrid1.Rows - 1
Debug.Print c1FlexGrid1.TextMatrix(r,c)
Next

1. In C1FlexGrid, Rows and Cols properties return the rows and column collections. The collections have read/write properties that return the number of elements and fixed elements in each collection.
2. C1FlexGrid uses indexers to represent rows and columns.

For instance, in .NET, you would write:

Dim r, c c = 1
For r = c1FlexGrid1.Rows.Fixed To c1FlexGrid1.Rows.Count - 1
Debug.Print(c1FlexGrid1(r, c))
Next

The Cell property is one of the most powerful elements of the VSFlexGrid object model. It allows you to get or set any property of any cell or cell range with a single command. Using a single property means using variants, and this prevents the compiler from catching many subtle problems in case you make mistakes while coding.

For instance, in ActiveX, you would write:

flex.Cell(flexcpPicture, 5, 5, 10, 10)
= theImage

In C1FlexGrid, CellRange object has replaced the Cell property to expose type-safe properties and methods for accessing cell range. So, if variable theImage contained a string instead of an image, you get a compiler error and not a runtime error. Also, you get command-completion when writing the code because the types for each property are known.

For instance, in .NET, you would write:

Dim rg As CellRange
rg = c1FlexGrid1.GetCellRange(5,5,10,10)
rg.Image = theImage

In the .NET version, Cols[i].DataType property determines the type of data the column holds. By default, the DataType property for all columns is set to "object", that is you can store any type of data in any column. You can set the data type to specific types, however, the grid tries to coerce any data stored in the grid to the proper type.

For instance, in .NET, you would write:

c1FlexGrid1.Cols(2).DataType = GetType(Integer)
' Sets the value to 12
c1FlexGrid1(1, 2) = "12"
' Can not convert "hello" string to integer
' Fires the GridError event
' Retains the original value
c1FlexGrid1(2, 2) = "hello"

In VSFlexGrid, you can customize the appearance of individual cells or cell ranges using the Cell property.

For instance, in ActiveX, you would write:

//Set the backcolor of second row
c1FlexGrid1.Cell(flexcpBackColor, 2, 0, 2,
c1FlexGrid1.Cols-1) = vbRed

Demerit:

To change the appearance of all red cells, you need to clear all styles and start again or you need to scan for red cells and then change their appearance.

In C1FlexGrid, cell appearance can be customized using the CellStyle object.

For instance, in .NET, you would write:

//Create a cell style
Dim redStyle As CellStyle = c1FlexGrid1.Styles
.Add("Red")
redStyle.BackColor = Color.Red
//Set the backcolor of second row
c1FlexGrid1.Rows(2).Style = redStyle

Merit:

The main advantage of this approach is that the new style is an object that can be changed or assigned to new ranges. For instance, to change the fore-color and text font of red cells, you would write:

c1FlexGrid1.Styles("Red").ForeColor = Color.White
c1FlexGrid1.Styles("Red").Font = new Font("Arial", 9)